Andrew Tarantola, Author at Gizmodo

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: Justin Bieber Don’t Cry

The Gaga plane-dog has a point. It’s not Justin Bieber’s fault he’s a shrill, spoiled, cheap-shotting little bitch, it’s all of ours for paying attention.

Tech News Andrew Tarantola May 25 '13

The SkyRanger Flies in the Face of Inclement Weather

Quad-copters have become a popular choice for aerial surveillance tasks, in both the public and private sectors, thanks to their portability and ease of use. Problem is, their diminutive nature also limits where and when they can fly—high winds can knock them clear out of the air. The new SkyRanger sUAS, however, is powerful enough…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola May 24 '13

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: Planet Online

Between ads for action figures, micromachines, and sugar-laden cereals, there used to be a time when Saturday morning commercials were just as riveting as the cartoons they interrupted—especially for gullible 8-year-olds. And though the ads themselves no longer deliver that overwhelming sense of excitement and grandeur, Neosignal‘s newest track adopts the same flashy, hyperactive style…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola May 24 '13

Tomorrow’s Galactic Explorers Could Use Pulsars as Interstellar GPS

Space is so ludicrously vast that keeping a precise fix on our spacecraft—even within the solar system—is really tough. So rather than track them from afar, a team of researchers want spacecraft to govern themselves—using pulsars. For every astronomical unit (AU) between the Earth and the craft, ground control loses 4km of tracking accuracy. That…

Space & Spaceflight Andrew Tarantola May 23 '13

This 163 MPH Rocket Bike Just Set a Land Speed Record

There’s a surprising amount of energy locked away in the fizzing bubbles of hydrogen peroxide. Enough, in fact, to propel one daredevil and his modified bicycle into the record books at nearly triple the speed limit of your local interstate. Eat your heart out, Wile E. Coyote. Cyclist François Gissy reached a top speed of…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola May 23 '13

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: Dumbass (NSFW)

Ai Weiwei is one of China’s preeminent contemporary artists, having won numerous worldwide accolades for his architectural feats (such as that awesome Beijing National Stadium from the 2008 Olympics). Problem is, Ai isn’t what you’d call a “company man,” riling Chinese authorities for years with his brand of political activism that included producing documentaries on…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola May 23 '13

This Russian Mobile SAM Site Could Be a Serious Ace Up Syria’s Sleeve

Coalition airstrikes helped turn the tides of the Libyan revolution in favor of the rebels; why not do the same in Syria? Because the Syrian government may or may not have just taken possession of one of the most frightening anti-aircraft batteries ever devised, that’s why. The Russian-made S-300 long-range SAM (surface-to-air) system, known as…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola May 22 '13

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: Demons End

What? Everybody’s cool with monkey knife fighting but put one up against an unholy giraffe with a katana and suddenly people are yelling, “but it’s got an unfair height advantage,” “where’d that monkey get an Under Armor hat?” and “why is that giraffe breathing fire?” None of that matters, only who’s neck is left intact…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola May 22 '13

How Sunscreen Works (And Why You’re Wrong About It)

Your skin shouldn’t look like a package of pork cracklins after spending the day outdoors; that’s why we invented sunscreen. However, there’s a right way and a wrong way to slather on your protection—screw it up and you could get burned. It’s not the visible light from the sun that causes your skin to crisp,…

Health Andrew Tarantola May 21 '13

This Printer Spits Out 10 Meters of Solar Panel Every Minute

Australia is on the cusp of a solar energy revolution. First, a recent study suggests that the country could power its entire national domestic infrastructure using only solar (while slashing the price of home electricity by 70 percent). Now, the University of Melbourne has introduced a new organic PV cell printer that rolls out a…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola May 21 '13

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: Wandering

This awesome 8-bit retro music video from Joe Presser is a classic tale of love: boy meets girl, boy runs away from girl, girl undergoes grueling training regimen to hunt down boy and deliver smooches. It’s like Forrest Gump but in reverse. Download the song on Soundcloud

Tech News Andrew Tarantola May 21 '13

This Insane Highway Demolition Is the Longest Ever in China

Given the fevered pace of China’s infrastructure development, 16 years is ancient. That’s why the two-lane concrete Zhuan-yang viaduct running through the town of Wuhan, Hubei in central China had to go—a bigger and better six-lane freeway was in the works. But to demolish the original roadway without harming the surrounding homes, engineers smothered the…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola May 20 '13

Shanzhai Biennial: Dark Optimism

This song, like the dress and the woman wearing it, is the sincerest form of flattery. In that they’re all shameless knockoffs. Everything about this music video from Shanzhai Biennial, a trio of artists—Cyril Duval, Babak Radboy and Avena Gallagher—posing as a “multinational brand posing as an art-project posing as an multinational brand posing as…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola May 20 '13

Tokyo Has Never Sounded This Incredible

What do you get when you combine a 1:1000-scale model of Tokyo, 3D video projection mapping and catchy techno riffs? Three minutes of awesome, that’s what. To celebrate the ten year anniversary of its opening, the Roppongi Hills complex (part high-rise residences, part shopping district, part entertainment venue) created this wicked cool short, Tokyo City…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola May 20 '13

First Footage of an F-35B Taking Off Straight Into the Air

Finding a suitable runway to launch your multibillion dollar fighter jet from isn’t always as easy as it sounds. That’s why the F-35B Lightning II is designed to with the ability to both take off and land without ever needing to taxi. Here’s the first look at its vertical launch. Earlier this month at the…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola May 20 '13

The 5 Types of Ax Everyone Should Know

The forest isn’t just going to lay down and stack itself into timber piles because you asked nicely. You’ll need to fell, chop, and hew it into submission. Here are the tools to do it. Felling Axes First things first, if you want to knock down trees you’re going to need a felling ax. These…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola May 20 '13

Mi-24 HIND: The Flying Russian Crocodile Can Fight and Flee

Most helicopters are designed to either carry a lot of cargo at the expense of maneuverability—like the Chinook—or be quick and nimble while sacrificing armament and transport capabilities, like the Huey. Russia’s Mi-24 HIND multi-mission gunship isn’t “most helicopters.” The Mil Mi-24 is a dual-role helicopter gunship designed as both a attack helicopter and 8-troop/4-litter…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola May 20 '13

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: Two Colors, Three Dimensions

Mixing surreal anaglyphic animation and a haunting soundtrack, this stunning short by Stephen Chan is cool enough to watch even without the glasses. Of course if you want the full effect but don’t have access to pair, just blink your eyes alternately real fast. That might work.

Tech News Andrew Tarantola May 18 '13

Iowa Farms Can’t Seem to Keep Their Pig Shit from Exploding

Pig farming is tough, foul-smelling, and dirty work. Turns out, that’s the good part of it. See, since 2009 the American hog farming industry has been struck with an explosive pork poop problem—in that the decomposing porcine waste will go boom under the right conditions. Since the phenomenon was first described four years ago, a…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola May 17 '13

NASA Designs the Scientifically Perfect Space Meal

After being strapped onto the front of a 15-story controlled explosion and launched clear out of the atmosphere to live in an experimental laboratory orbiting around the Earth at thousands of miles an hour, the least NASA can do is give you a good meal. Feeding the crew of the ISS and other manned excursions…

Space & Spaceflight Andrew Tarantola May 17 '13

Andrew Tarantola

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: Justin Bieber Don’t Cry

The SkyRanger Flies in the Face of Inclement Weather

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: Planet Online

Tomorrow’s Galactic Explorers Could Use Pulsars as Interstellar GPS

This 163 MPH Rocket Bike Just Set a Land Speed Record

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: Dumbass (NSFW)

This Russian Mobile SAM Site Could Be a Serious Ace Up Syria’s Sleeve

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: Demons End

How Sunscreen Works (And Why You’re Wrong About It)

This Printer Spits Out 10 Meters of Solar Panel Every Minute

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: Wandering

This Insane Highway Demolition Is the Longest Ever in China

Shanzhai Biennial: Dark Optimism

Tokyo Has Never Sounded This Incredible

First Footage of an F-35B Taking Off Straight Into the Air

The 5 Types of Ax Everyone Should Know

Mi-24 HIND: The Flying Russian Crocodile Can Fight and Flee

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: Two Colors, Three Dimensions

Iowa Farms Can’t Seem to Keep Their Pig Shit from Exploding

NASA Designs the Scientifically Perfect Space Meal

Spotify Will Now Verify Non-AI Artists

‘Macross Plus’ Is an Ultra-Romantic Classic That Refuses to Age

Stick It to Jeff Bezos by Turning Your Defunct Kindle Into the World’s Worst Typewriter

‘De-extinction’ Startup Wants to Revive Antelope Killed Off by South African Colonists

The Best Toys of April 2026

Dreame L60 Ultra Robot Vacuum and Mop With 35,000Pa Suction Is Now Over $400 Off as a Launch Exclusive Deal

Under-Oath Elon Musk Seems to Run a Different Company Than Public-Figure Elon Musk

Ambitious Experiment Aims to Test Tiny Nuclear Reactors for AI Data Centers

Here’s the Very Normal Reason the ‘Lanterns’ Trailer Disappeared

California Cops Can Finally Give Robotaxis Tickets

Steam Controller Review: Trackpads Change Everything for PC Gaming

Soundcore Space 2 Review: A Shockingly Stellar Value for Budget ANC Wireless Headphones

Anker’s UV Printer Can Handle Almost Anything… If You Know What You’re Doing

HP’s EliteBoard Keyboard-Computer Proves We Can Stick a PC in Anything

Sleep-Tracking Earbuds Didn’t Fix Me, but They Did Open My Eyes

I’ve Tested a Lot of Bad Smart Glasses and These Are the Worst Yet

Roborock’s Qrevo Curv 2 Flow Is the Ultimate Robot Mop—If You Don’t Have Corners or Walls

Alienware’s $350 QD-OLED Gaming Monitor Nixes Everything for a Pretty Screen

Sony Inzone H6 Air Review: A Perfect Case for Open-Back Gaming Headsets

Anker’s EufyMake E1 Finally Brings Printers Out of the Dark Ages